Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/09/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]What I would like to see are images from the M8. Bill in Denver -----Original Message----- From: lug-bounces+bill=photobynelsch.com@leica-users.org [mailto:lug-bounces+bill=photobynelsch.com@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Tom Schofield Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2006 1:01 PM To: Leica Users Group Subject: Re: [Leica] Leica M8 hands on Henning, can you comment on high-ISO performance, or you holding back as firm-ware related? Tom On Sep 14, 2006, at 11:56 AM, Henning Wulff wrote: >> Hi Henning, >> >> Thanks for this--my keyboard is all wet with drool. >> >> One little detail: what kind of storage does the M8 use? Compact >> Flash? >> >> Cheers, >> Nathan > > SD cards. I had some Sandisk Ultra II's. > > I've also read the spec now, and found out the connector is apparently > USB2. > > One thing I didn't like and forgot to mention was that after you > select an option on the menu, and then go back to shooting mode > directly, you don't get what you selected. You have to press the 'set' > button after you select an option. But that's fixable in firmware > (hope, hope!). > >> Henning Wulff wrote: >>> Well, DPReview has said that Leica has now officially announced the >>> M8, posted pictures and spec so there's no point in being quiet any >>> more. >>> >>> Tom Abrahamsson got hold of an M8 about a month ago, and shortly >>> after let me use it for about 10 days so that I could evaluate it >>> and do a write up. >>> >>> Firmware version was 0.23 so final image quality and some electronic >>> operational items are certainly going to be different than what I >>> got to use. Reasonably, I was asked not to post pictures from this >>> camera. Various family members have gotten prints from it, but they >>> really couldn't care much about which camera they came from. I took >>> about 1600 pictures. >>> >>> I had a couple of interesting moments w.r.t. other people's >>> reactions. A couple of times while walking around downtown someone >>> came up and said 'nice camera' while sporting their own late model >>> Leica's. I slipped my fingers over the 'M8' logo and held the camera >>> back against my body, went into grumpy mode, grunted and walked >>> past. Then we had a gathering at our house, and among others the >>> neighbours were there. A friend of their son came to our door, >>> asking for Christoph; I let him in and he saw the M8 on the counter >>> and immediately oohed and aahed. Turn's out he's a photographer and >>> while born in Vancouver now lives over the LeicaShop in Vienna. >>> After that I 'disguised' it, but it still was recognized at times. >>> >>> So - the camera. It handles like an M, except your hands miss the >>> grip that the wind level gave you. The extra thickness is easy to >>> get used to, and the responsiveness is very good. Because of the >>> firmware issue, the testing I did on it is meaningless, but there >>> was nothing negative to my perception. The shutter, while certainly >>> different than the rubber-curtained one on the film camera, is not >>> particularly loud, either in firing or winding. I think the >>> dampening they did on the transplanted R9 shutter had some effect. >>> It doesn't have a high frame rate, but neither do the film M's and >>> that's not important to me. The shutter travel includes a detent for >>> locking the exposure that was a bit hard to find, but a lot better >>> with one of Tom's softies. >>> >>> The covering is fine grained and a bit too slippery, especially >>> since I missed the wind lever for holding the camera with the right >>> hand. Some kind of molded bump like on the Hexar RF would be nice, >>> but I'm not sure right now how that could be implemented in line >>> with the desire to retain the 'classic' look. >>> >>> Frame lines were bright and useable, and came up in the pairs that >>> you would expect due to the traditional lens mount activation. The >>> frame for the 24 is reasonably visible with glasses. It works with >>> the Visoflex III, and it worked fine on the Aristophot I got >>> recently, and I shot some pictures with the various Photars. I also >>> put on my 17mm fisheye, and it looks like >>> this: >>> >>> http://www.archiphoto.com/Various/Incognito.jpg >>> >>> All lenses that I tried, including 12, 15 and 21 CV; 21, 35/1.4, 50 >>> and 90 ASPH, and older 35/2, new 50/2.8, 50/1, 75/1.4 and >>> 135/4 worked, and worked well. I wouldn't hesitate to use any of >>> them and there was no vignetting that wasn't visible on film as >>> well. Those angled microlenses do their job, and erase one of the >>> main objections I had re the RD-1, which was really not useable with >>> lenses beyond the range of 24 to (slow) 75. Image quality was >>> outstanding in general, the best were easily on a par or, in the >>> case of wideangle shots, readily exceeded that of the best on the >>> Canon 5D. My favourite lenses on the M8 were the 21 and >>> 35/1.4 ASPH and 75/1.4, but I wouldn't hesitate to use any lens. >>> >>> Menus were fine, and quite direct. There is no 'dedicated' button >>> for ISO (full stops from 160 to 2500), but since you can get at two >>> different menus by pushing two different buttons, changing ISO's was >>> very fast and efficient. There are also good user parameter save >>> options, so after you set them up you can go from low ISO with -1/3 >>> compensation, colour, colour histogram, bright LCD screen, high >>> resolution with DNG and fine jpeg with medium sharpening and low >>> saturation to high ISO, not compensation, B&W, dim LCD screen and >>> regular jpeg with higher sharpening in a very few button pushes. The >>> dial that's concentric with the arrow pad is also very nice and >>> works well. >>> >>> The little door to the left of the screen just has a connector for a >>> dedicated cable, which I didn't have so don't know whether it's USB2 >>> or 1394. >>> >>> Mainly, it felt like an M, and within a couple of minutes of picking >>> it up you could shoot with it like an M, and except for the sound, >>> lack of winding and having more than 36 shots, it really wasn't >>> different than an M. >>> >>> And that's good. >>> >> >> -- >> Nathan Wajsman >> Almere, The Netherlands >> >> SUPPORT FREEDOM OF SPEECH, BUY DANISH PRODUCTS! >> >> General photography: http://www.nathanfoto.com >> Picture-A-Week: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws Seville photography: >> http://www.fotosevilla.com >> >> Stock photography: http://www.alamy.com/search-results.asp?qt=wajsman >> http://myloupe.com/home/found_photographer.php?photographer=507 >> Prints for sale: http://www.photodeluge.com >> >> Blog: http://www.fotocycle.dk/blog >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > -- > * Henning J. Wulff > /|\ Wulff Photography & Design > /###\ mailto:henningw@archiphoto.com > |[ ]| http://www.archiphoto.com > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information